


The Scarlet Fairy

by kkitsunekami



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/M, Friends to Lovers, Romantic Comedy, Romantic Fluff, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-12
Updated: 2019-11-14
Packaged: 2021-01-29 05:41:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,417
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21405109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kkitsunekami/pseuds/kkitsunekami
Summary: The Scarlet Fairy. At the Françoise Dupont Ballet Academy, she always stole the show. At every concert and recital, she would always be in attendance, mesmerizing both the performers and the audience with every step, turn, and leap. There was only one problem: nobody knew who she was. Appeared out of thin air only months ago. Only the academy's headmaster, Mister Fu, knew who she was.And Adrien Agreste will do everything to find out who the Scarlet Fairy is.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe
Kudos: 32





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys! I know that a ballerina AU is not a new thing, but I hope you guys like it! This is actually my first time making my own fleshed-out AU. Hope you enjoy! (´ ▽｀).。ｏ♡
> 
> Oh btw, if it feels rough around the edges, it's because this is my entry for this year's NaNoWriMo! After November, I'll definitely come back to this and edit this fic.

"Nathalie?"

The dainty, short-haired woman looked up from her white tablet to look at her boss' son. Adrien busied himself with fixing the collar of his white button-down shirt.

As if she read his mind, she set down her tablet and pushed her rectangle-framed glasses further up the bridge of her nose. "Mrs Tsurugi and her daughter will be arriving shortly."

"Where'd you put my coat?" he asked, picking up the black tie on the table and quickly fashioning it into a Windsor knot around his neck. Nathalie gestured towards the open closet, where a shiny black hanger bag stared back at him. He walked towards it and opened the bag. He was greeted by a sleek, black coat, which fit him perfectly when he slipped it on.

"And... Father?"

A pause. "He will be following shortly."

Adrien sighed. He should've expected that his father would be running late, given how busy he is, but that didn't mean he didn't feel awful every time.

A notification pinged on Nathalie's tablet. "The Tsurugis are here," she said as she stood up from her seat at her desk. "It's time to go."

She handed him the tickets to the concert they were seeing. As Adrien was shepherded by Nathalie to the main gate, he studied the tickets carefully. It was a ballet concert hosted by the Françoise Dupont Ballet Academy. Apparently, it was the year-end recital, to be performed by the students of the school. He had trained in ballet in his childhood, but he never pursued it. It's even a miracle that his flexibility survived until adulthood, but he figured it was because he had dabbled in martial arts later on in his childhood as well.

At the entrance was the Tsurugis' red car, idling in front of the gate. Nathalie opened the gate and Adrien stepped out, fiddling with the cuffs of his coat.

As if on cue, the door swung open. Kagami, Mrs Tsurugi's only daughter, sat in the backseat by herself. Her short, blue-black hair was decorated with a flower hairpin, and she donned a sleek, maroon dress. Adrien got into the car and turned to Nathalie, who didn't move an inch.

"I will be accompanying your father," Nathalie said. "We will be there as soon as your father finishes his business meeting."

Adrien responded with a nod and shut the door. Mrs Tsurugi, who sat in the passenger seat, muttered a command to the car, and the car started to drive towards the ballet school.

"Sorry we were late," Kagami whispered. "We had some complications before we left the house."

"No problem," Adrien replied with a smile.

"To be honest, ballet never really interested me," she said as she smoothed out her dress. "But I do admire their strength and dexterity."

The rest of the drive there was spent in silence, mostly because Adrien was too shy to initiate another topic with Kagami. It was a short drive anyway, because in a matter of minutes they were at the front of the steps of the prestigious ballet school. When they stepped out of the car, they were greeted with (of course) hordes of cameramen, photographers, and reporters. Sometimes, Adrien really didn't like being a world-class model. He could never catch a break.

As usual, he was bombarded with questions as they walked up the steps, mostly if he and Kagami were a couple. He only answered with a smile and a tiny wave of his hand, trying to pretend that he couldn't hear their questions. Thankfully, the security guards of the school assisted them and shooed off the media. Adrien heard Mrs Tsurugi mutter something about being unrefined, which he assumed was targeted towards the reporters.

Once they got in, they were ushered towards the auditorium, where Adrien presented their tickets. They took a seat at a balcony by the right side of the stage. As the lights dimmed and the red velvet curtains were drawn, Adrien settled into his seat, hoping that his father and Nathalie would at least be able to watch some of the performances.

The performances were good, he quickly noticed. Françoise Dupont was known to produce world-class ballet dancers. He then realized that these were only the level one students, which wowed him even more. He was amazed at every performance and how well the dancers executed their choreography.

As a group of ballet dancers dressed in pristine white tights and tutus exited the stage, a strange ballerina replaced them, taking her place at the center of the stage. She wore a dazzling red tutu dress that sparkled in the spotlight, along with scarlet red pointe shoes. Her hair was pulled up into a clean bun. But the strangest thing about her was the red veil obscuring her face. As Adrien stared intently at it, he realized that it was made out of tulle, designed to not move an inch as she moved.

The music began to play, and she began to move across the stage. Adrien was quickly entranced by the ballerina. Her movements were graceful and smooth, her turns were amazing, and her leaps were jaw-dropping. She could deliver emotions so easily with every step. It felt like he was under a spell, and he was perfectly fine with it.

To Adrien's dismay, her performance ended as soon as it began. She returned to center stage and gave a graceful courtesy, which was then followed by a roaring round of applause and several standing ovations from the audience. Adrien however, only stared as the ballerina exited the stage, her image lingering in his mind.

"Did you not like her performance?" Kagami asked. He almost jumped out of his seat, but he managed to keep his composure.

"No, I did," he replied. "Sorry, I think I just spaced out for a moment."

Thankfully, Kagami didn't bother Adrien for more details. The headmaster stepped out and thanked everybody for showing up. He was a short man with balding grey hair and a wispy mustache. He was hunched over and he only had a wooden cane to support himself with. Adrien couldn't help but wonder at how he became the headmaster of the ballet school. Looks can be deceiving; he knows this for a fact.

After a short speech, the audience applauded the curtains closed. Lights began to illuminate the auditorium as people shuffled through the seats to either go backstage to meet the dancers or go home. When Adrien turned, his heart dropped when he saw that the seats beside him were empty.

His father didn't come.

"Let's go," Mrs Tsurugi said, rising from her seat. Kagami and Adrien followed suit. He wanted to go backstage and ask who the dancer in red was, but he decided to escort the Tsurugis out first.

They were led by a couple of ushers to the parking lot behind the school, which was much more peaceful and quiet than the front steps of the school earlier. Adrien assisted Mrs Tsurugi into the backseat, which surprised Kagami.

"You aren't coming with us?" she asked. "We can drop you off at your house."

"I think I left my phone at the balcony," Adrien said, hoping that Kagami would believe him. "I can just have Gorilla pick me up once I find my phone."

"Are you sure you don't need any help?" she offered.

"No need, you and Mrs Tsurugi can head home," he assured her. "I can handle it. I'll just ask the ushers if they've seen it."

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow at fencing," she replied. "I hope you find your phone."

He smiled and closed the door before the car drove off. Once he the car was out of his sight, Adrien rushed back into the building.

Once he was back in, he immediately spotted a blonde-haired girl. A _ very _ familiar blonde-haired girl.

"Adrikiiiiiiiiins!!!" Chloé's high-pitched voice almost broke Adrien's eardrums as she gave him a bone-crushing hug. Beside her, Adrien spotted Sabrina, Chloé's friend and sort-of lackey. Both were wearing red polo shirts with the ballet school's logo embroidered on the left side and they still had some makeup on.

"Chloé?" he said breathlessly. "What are you doing here?"

Chloé gasped and let go of him, placing her hands on her hips. "I can't believe you didn't see me perform! Ridiculous, utterly ridiculous!"

"Sorry, we had a balcony seat," he apologized. "I couldn't see the dancers' faces that well."

"It doesn't matter," she said, waving her hand dismissively. "I had someone record my performance anyway. I'll send you a copy."

"Oh, thank you," Adrien said with a smile. "Hey, by the way, do you happen to know who that dancer in red was?"

"Scarlet Fairy?!" she exclaimed. "She's kind of like, a legend here."

"Why?"

"Nobody but the headmaster knows who she is!" Sabrina piped up. " She just shows up in shows and recitals. We're not even sure if she's a student here."

"Why are you asking anyway?" Chloé asked. She then gasped and said, "Don't tell me you have a crush on her!"

"Wha—no! No, it's not that at all," he denied, but he could feel his cheeks betray him. "I was just curious about who she is."

"Well, all I know is that she's _ really _ mysterious," she said. "Anyways, would you mind joining Daddy and I for dinner, Adrikins?"

"N-no thanks, I'm heading home for tonight," he replied.

"Oh well," Chloé shrugged. She smirked and tapped Adrien's nose with her pointer finger. "The offer still stands. Sabrina!"

Sabrina immediately straightened up, as if standing in attention. "Yes Chloé!"

"Let's go."

Chloé turned to walk the other way, with Sabrina hot on her heels. Adrien sighed. Looks like he won't be able to find out who the dancer was.

"Scarlet Fairy, huh?" he muttered to himself. As he turned to walk back to the parking lot, he collided with someone, losing his balance and causing them to both fall into the ground.

"Ow..."

Adrien quickly got up and helped the person up as well. "I'm so sorry! I should've been paying attention."

"It's okay. I'm not injured or anything."

Adrien got a good look at the person he bumped into. It was a girl his age, with blue hair tied into a ponytail and bright blue eyes. A light spray of freckles adorned her cheeks and nose. She was wearing a pink off-shoulder top, a white, flowy knee-length skirt and white heels. A small white purse dotted with baby pink polka dots was slung over her lightly-freckled shoulder.

She looked... _ stunning _.

"Hey, a-are you okay?" she said timidly, waving her hand in front of his face. Her face was stricken with worry and concern. "You're not hurt, right?"

Adrien snapped out of his daydream. "No, I'm okay," he quickly assured her.

"Whew! Thank god. I was worried I might've broken your pretty face."

"W-what?"

"N-nothing!" she quickly exclaimed. 

Adrien decided to ignore what he heard (maybe he just heard her wrong, anyway). "So, are you a student here too?" he asked.

"No," she replied, tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear. "I just came to watch the recital. Actually, I'm applying here for the next term."

"Oh! Well, best of luck to you... er..."

"Marinette!" She quickly held out her hand to Adrien. He smiled and took her hand, shaking it gently. Her hand was smooth and soft, he noted.

"I'm Adrien," he replied with a smile.

"I know," Marinette said.

"What?"

"I-I mean—the commercials! Yeah!" she stammered, her voice almost cracking. "I know you from commercials and stuff. You're Adrien Agreste, right?"

"Yeah," he chuckled. For a moment, he forgot that literally everyone in Paris knew him. 

"I uh… actually need to go," Marinette said. "It was nice meeting you, Mr Agreste."

"Please, just call me Adrien," he offered with a smile.

"A-Adrien," she echoed, smiling back at him. Her pearly whites shone bright in contrast with her mauve-colored lips.

"It was nice meeting you too, Marinette," he said. "Sorry again for bumping into you."

"No worries," she assured him. "See you around, I guess?"

Adrien nodded. "See you around, Marinette. I hope I can watch you at the next recital."

Marinette smiled and waved at him before heading towards the opposite direction. Adrien stared at the girl, completely awestruck, before realizing that he needed to call Gorilla for a ride home.


	2. Chapter 2

Marinette’s heart still beat wildly inside her chest. She couldn’t believe that she _ actually _ met Adrien “Total Dreamboat” Agreste in the flesh!

“What are the odds, right?” she giggled dreamily to herself. She had just arrived at her apartment, and upon entering she quickly slipped off her heels and hopped onto her bed.

She had been living by herself for a while now. After months of constant nagging, her parents finally let her get an apartment for herself for college. She had started late since she wanted to help out at the bakery.

And if she was being completely honest, it was a good excuse to have enough time to think of what course she was going to take. She wanted to take fashion design, but even though the bakery was doing well, it wasn’t going to be enough to support her. Her second choice was Françoise Dupont, but it wasn’t exactly that more affordable than fashion design. Her years of taking free summer ballet workshops weren’t going to cut it, either.

But luck was finally on her side, and she was able to find a good compromise.

Her phone vibrated from inside her purse. She rolled over and fished it out of her purse, checking who it was before opening the message.

**[1 unread message from Headmaster Fu]**

Marinette sat up and opened the message.

  
  


**Headmaster Fu**

**Good job with the performance tonight, Marinette. Hope to see you here tomorrow. 8 am sharp, don’t forget :)**

  
  


She giggled and started typing a reply.

  
  


**Marinette Dupain-Cheng**

**Thank you Master! Don’t worry, I won’t forget to set an alarm ^_^**

  
  


Without waiting for a reply, she turned off her phone and plopped back down on her bed. She had been doing this in secret for a long while, and only now will she finally be able to formally attend Françoise Dupont.

She was the Scarlet Fairy.

Fu had discovered her talent when she had inquired at the ballet school. He offered to let her have her own performances at recitals and shows, but she had to keep her identity a secret. If she did well enough, she’ll be able to get into the school, but Fu could only promise her a part-time as a costume designer, at least until she earns enough from it to be able to afford to take actual classes. The school didn’t offer full scholarships, so this was her best shot.

And after months of training and rehearsing in secret, and of course performing as the Scarlet Fairy (as the students called her), she was able to prove her worth to Fu. Her part-time was starting tomorrow, and she could _ not _wait any longer.

_ I hope I can watch you at the next recital. _

The world-class model’s angelic voice and sweet smile came back to mind, and Marinette couldn’t help but muffle a high-pitched giggle with a pillow. She never would’ve thought that she would bump into him. Literally and metaphorically.

His golden blonde hair and emerald green eyes were all she could think of, how warm and soft his hand was, how gentle and kind she spoke to her. Hell, he even asked her to call him by his first name!

It almost felt like a fever dream. His father, Gabriel Agreste, had been her idol for as long as she could remember. He owned the prestigious Agreste brand, and his son Adrien mainly modelled for him. She's always had a huge celebrity crush on Adrien, and it was a miracle she was able to talk to him without sounding like an idiot.

_ I was worried I might've broken your pretty face. _

Her own words hit her like a freight train.

"Why the hell did I say that?!" Marinette shrieked, almost tearing her hair out of her scalp. "Argh, he probably thinks I'm such a creep…

"But he was nice," she then mumbled as she let go of her hair and hugged her pillow. "I never thought he would be _ that _friendly."

She couldn't help but smile. Just thinking about that fateful encounter filled her stomach with butterflies and made her heart race.

“God, this is _ such _a good day,” she sighed to herself. “But I don’t think I’ll ever get to see him again…”

Trying to distract herself, she patted herself on the face. “Oh come on, Mari, no more depressing thoughts. You’ve got a big day tomorrow.”

After the short pep talk she gave herself, she headed to the bathroom to wash herself up and got ready for bed. She set an alarm for herself and after scrolling through her social media for a bit, she finally fell into a deep slumber.

•••

Maybe a _ bit _ too deep of a slumber.

Marinette awoke to her alarm ringing right at her ear. Groggily, she opened one eye and checked the time.

7:21 AM.

"_FUCK_!" she hissed. Seeing the time woke her mind up like she drank an entire liter of coffee in one go. She scrambled to get up and get ready as fast as she could. She quickly showered and threw on a simple white blouse, black slacks and a pair of black kitten heels. By 7:46 AM, she was frantically checking if she had everything in her bag.

"Phone, sewing kit, makeup kit, extra clothes, just in case," she rambled, rummaging through her bag. "Wallet!"

She turned to her bedside table and sighed in relief when she spotted her pink wallet, along with her keys. She grabbed them and chucked them into her bag.

After checking to see if everything was unplugged (electricity bills are getting much more expensive these days), she rushed out of the door and locked it shut.

Marinette didn't have enough money to call a cab, and since the school wasn't that far from her apartment, she opted to make a run for it. She silently thanked herself for wearing the kitten heels, since these were the ones she can actually run with.

"Pleaseletmemakeitpleaseletmemakeit," she mumbled to herself breathlessly as she sprinted through the streets of Paris. But as she turned at a corner she crashed into someone dressed in a black and green hoodie and sweatpants.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry!" she apologized. "I should've been looking at where I'm go—"

Emerald eyes met her gaze. She _ must _be dreaming right now.

"_ A-Adrien?! _"


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everybody! Just wanted to let y'all know that I'll be updating every Thursday (no set time), so even after NaNoWriMo I'll still be updating this fic!
> 
> Enjoy the chapter! (｡’▽’｡)♡

"There, that's it! Just like that!"

It took all of Adrien's willpower to not slouch and keep his current pose. He was at a photoshoot on a bridge by the river at seven in the morning. It didn't help that he was extremely sleep-deprived, occasionally thinking about Scarlet Fairy and the pretty girl he met last night, Marinette. But it was mostly due to his messed-up sleeping schedule. He was just thankful he doesn't get eyebags  _ that _ easily.

He was urged to do a different pose, and he complied, flaunting the white turtleneck sweater, navy blue coat and beige pants that he wore. Nearby, he could already see a growing crowd of people, all watching him at his photoshoot.

"Another pose Adrien!" the photographer said, moving to a new angle. Adrien shifted and leaned on the railing, flashing a relaxed smile at the camera. He heard a couple of women squeal in the crowd.

After a few more poses, Adrien was told to go back to his trailer van and rest. When he got in, he changed into a black hoodie with green accents and comfy sweatpants. He sat down and started scrolling through his social media apps, going back and forth from one app to another.

His stomach grumbled viciously.  _ I knew I should've at least taken a bite of my breakfast before I left, _ he thought to himself.

As he kept scrolling, he spotted a post on Instagram about a bakery in Paris, and how good their pastries were. Adrien looked up the bakery and found out that it was close by.

"Tom & Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie, huh?" he said, a mischievous grin forming on his lips. "I guess it wouldn't hurt to buy myself breakfast."

  * ••

Adrien peeked out of the small window on the door of his trailer van to check if any of the staff was nearby. Armed with only his wallet and phone, he pulled the hood of his hoodie over his head and slowly opened the door. When he saw that pretty much all the staff were huddled at their tent, he quickly made a run for it, avoiding to run into the crowd nearby.

“Whew! That takes care of the hardest part,” he said to himself. As if to prove him wrong, a huge gust of wind suddenly flew by, blowing the hood off of his head. Someone in the crowd saw him and started pointing at him, shrieking his name.

The crowd began screaming and started to run towards him. It  _ definitely _ looked like a scene straight out of a zombie apocalypse movie.

“Oh  _ shit. _ ” With that, Adrien sprinted off, turning at every corner he saw, hoping to shake them off. After a while, he couldn’t see them anymore, but he could still hear them faintly. He looked back to check if they were right behind them and—

_ Thud! _

He ran right into someone, causing him to lose his balance and fall backwards onto his backside.

"Oh shit, I'm sorry!" a familiar voice said. "I should've been looking at where I'm go—"

The girl’s blue eyes went wide with shock as her jaw almost dropped to the ground.

“ _ A-Adrien?! _ ”

Adrien couldn’t believe his eyes either. It was Marinette, the pretty girl he met yesterday. She had her hair down and was dressed casually, but it only made her more appealing to his eyes.

“H-hi,” he greeted her. “Marinette, right?”

She nodded briskly. “Are you okay? I’m  _ really _ sorry for bumping into you…  _ again. _ ”

“I have a feeling one of us will break a rib if we keep meeting like this,” Adrien said with a laugh. Marinette offered a hand to him, which he then held tightly to get up.

“God, I hope not,” Marinette replied. "I think we both can't risk an injury like that."

“Oh yeah, you’re applying at Françoise Dupont, right?” he recalled.

“Yeah… oh god,  _ WHAT TIME IS IT?! _ ”

He was taken aback at her reaction. He slowly glanced at his phone, a bit scared of her at that moment. “It’s… 7:53 right now.”

“I’m sorry, I need to go!” she told him. “I have to be at Françoise Dupont by exactly—”

“HEY LOOK, IT'S ADRIEN!!!”

The two turned to where the yelling came from. The crowd had finally caught up to him and was now running towards them.

“Come on!” Out of sheer instinct, he grabbed Marinette by her wrist and started running again.

“Here!” Marinette steered the both of them towards a narrow alley. They hid behind a dumpster that was close to the end of the alley and waited until the crowd ran by them.

After standing up to check if they were gone, Adrien sat back down beside Marinette. “Sorry for dragging you into this… now you’re gonna be late for school.”

“It can’t be helped,” she told him. “It’s not your fault you’re attractive as hell.”

Adrien felt his cheeks burn. “W-what?”

“I didn't mean it like that at all!” Marinette said, her face turning red. “I mean, you’re a model, and a lot of people like you! You have uh… you have a face that would be attractive to a lot of people, y’know?”

“You really think so?” he asked.

“Y-yeah…” she replied, fiddling with her long, blue-black hair. “Hey, can I ask you something?”

He nodded. “What is it?”

“Why are you even out today? Were you at a photoshoot or something?”

“I was… uh…”

As if on cue, his stomach rumbled so loudly, Adrien swore the crowd chasing him around must've heard it. Marinette stared at him for a good five seconds before stifling a laugh.

“Hey, I was rushing this morning, okay?” he said, almost whining at her.

Another rumble was heard, but Adrien was sure it didn’t come from him. He stared at Marinette, whose cheeks began to turn red again.

Adrien laughed, tears almost streaming from his eyes. Marinette buried her face into her hands and groaned about how she didn’t actually laugh at him.

“Hey, hey, I’m sorry for laughing,” Adrien apologized sincerely. He gently took her hands into his own to stop her from covering her face. The two locked eyes for what seemed like forever. He couldn’t pull away from staring deep into her bright blue eyes. Her hands were small and dainty, but it almost felt like it fit his own perfectly.

“Uh… Adrien…?”

He finally snapped out of his daydream and let her hands go. “Um… to be honest, I was out because I saw a post about a bakery nearby. I wasn’t able to eat breakfast before I left for a photoshoot so…”

“So you snuck out?”

Adrien nodded.

“Which bakery was it?” Marinette asked. “If you don’t mind me asking.”

“I think it was… Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie?”

“... Excuse me?”

Adrien frowned at her reaction. “Why? Is the food bad there?”

“What?! No it’s not!” she said defensively.

“Whoa, calm down Marinette,” Adrien said. “Are you familiar with that bakery?”

“It’s… it’s my parents’ bakery…” she mumbled.

Adrien gasped. “No way!” he exclaimed. “Can you take me there? I’m  _ starving _ !”

"Uh…."

"Oh, you need to be at Françoise Dupont…" he realized. He wanted to slap himself hard across the face for forgetting, but Marinette might think he's gone bonkers if he did.

Marinette was silent for a while, then pulled out her phone from her bag and started typing. A notification popped up. When she was done reading it, she smiled and turned to him.

"I told them I had some…  _ complications _ ," she told him. "They said they understand, and I should just come after lunch."

Adrien frowned. "Why'd you say that?"

"Well, first of all I  _ technically _ didn't lie. And I think it would be easier for you to hide if you have someone with you who knows this part of town."

"Are you sure it's okay? You don't have to do that, you know. I don't wanna bother you anymore than I already have."

"Don't sweat it," Marinette assured him with a warm smile. "I was thinking of visiting my parents anyway."

Marinette stood up and patted away the dirt on her clothes. She helped him up to his feet and said, "Stay here. I'll check if the coast is clear."

Adrien watched her as she walked up to the street and looked around. She then turned to him and gestured for him to step out. He pulled the hood over his head again and followed Marinette. After a short and pretty uneventful walk, they finally reach the bakery.

From outside, the bakery looked quaint and cozy. He could see the delicious-looking pastries and breads displayed by the window. The sights and smells emanating from the bakery made his stomach protest even more and made his mouth water.

Marinette nudged him. "Let's head inside," she told him.

He nodded and eagerly followed her into the bakery. Thankfully, nobody else was inside the bakery, except for a petite, middle-aged woman with short hair blue-black hair standing by the counter. Her eyes went wide upon seeing them.

"Marinette!" she said, almost running up to Marinette. She gave her a tight hug as Marinette giggled.

"Hi Mom," she greeted the woman.

Marinette's mother suddenly turned to him and gasped. "Sweetie, isn't he—"

"Hi!" Adrien said with an outstretched hand. "I'm Adrien Agreste. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"Sabine," she said, giving his hand a firm shake. "I'm Marinette's mother. She used to have tons of magazines with your face on them!"

Adrien blushed. "R-Really?"

"Mom!" Marinette groaned.

"Oh, I'm sorry, sweetie," Sabine said. "Anyway, what brings such a lovely and handsome model to our bakery in this fine morning?"

"I saw on Instagram that your bakery made good pastries, and since I was in the area I wanted to see it for myself," he replied. "Well,  _ taste _ it."

"You're right about that, son!"

Adrien turned to see a huge, heavy-built man in a white apron stained with flour emerge from the back room, where he assumed all the baked goods were being made, just from the delicious smell alone. The man patted away the flour from his hands onto his apron and placed his two hands on Adrien's shoulders.

"You must be that Agreste boy who's always on the TV!" he said gleefully. "The name's Tom, and I welcome you to Tom and Sabine Boulangerie Patisserie! I'm assuming my sweet darling Marinette brought you over to introduce you as her suitor?"

"Dad!" Marinette reprimanded through gritted teeth.

"Kidding, kidding!" Tom chuckled. "I heard everything. So what'll it be?"

Adrien began to look around and was stunned at how scrumptious they all looked. There were baguettes, croissants, even choux, madeleines, meringues, and macarons of a wide variety of colors and flavors.

"Uh…" was the only thing he could muster to say.

"Do you want a suggestion?" Marinette whispered to him. He turned to her and nodded briskly.

Marinette gestured to a stack of seemingly normal-looking croissants. "Those are chocolate-filled croissants. You might need the sugar boost later. And they're  _ super _ good and really filling."

"You're a life-saver," Adrien whispered back. Turning back to Tom, he pointed at the croissants and said, "I'd like a couple of those, please."

"What about you, sweetie?" Sabine asked Marinette. "Did you have breakfast yet? I thought you were starting your part-time at Françoise Dupont today."

Adrien could've sworn Marinette glanced at him with seemingly apologetic eyes.

"I didn't have breakfast yet…" she mumbled. "And I don't have to be there until after lunch."

"Tell you what," Tom began. "How about you two eat breakfast upstairs? I don't think you'd get full eating bread while standing."

Without waiting for a reply, both Tom and Sabine shepherded the two up the stairs into the Dupain-Chengs' living space, right above the bakery.

"Make yourself at home!" Sabine told Adrien with a grin. "We'll bring the bread up here."

"Thank you," Adrien said. Marinette's parents went down the stairs as Marinette closed the door with a sigh. She gestured for him to take a seat at the couch, and he did. She took a seat beside him and plopped her bag beside her, looking tired as hell.

Adrien's eyes wandered around the place. Like the bakery, it was cozy and homey, not like the mansion that he and his father lives in. The place had a comforting atmosphere to it.

"Sorry for all this trouble," she said. "I think they got too excited."

"Why?"

"I've never…" She looked at him, embarrassed. "I've never brought a boy home before.  _ Especially _ not a famous model like you."

"For real?"

"Yeah, I'm not exactly the type of girl that every guy falls for," she chuckled.

"Speaking of model," Adrien said, smirking and raising an eyebrow, "you've been collecting my magazines, huh?"

Marinette's eyes widened. "I-It's not like that at all!" she said, almost defensively. "I was collecting them because… because I'm a big fan of your dad."

"Really?" he said, much more interested now.

She nodded. "His designs inspired me to create my own. It just so happened that you were always on the cover of the magazines that featured your dad's designs, so my parents immediately jumped the gun and I thought I had a huge crush on you."

"You're a designer?" he asked. "Can I see your work? I mean, if you don't mind."

Marinette thought for a while before standing up. "Wait here," she told him. "I'm just gonna check if I still have a sketchbook of mine lying around in my old room."

As Marinette climbed up another flight of stairs, Adrien settled into his seat, leaning on the back rest of the couch. He felt like this was the beginning of a good friendship between him and Marinette, and he was elated to feel this way.


End file.
